Fresh Perspectives - Reversing Falls Rapids

I had barely unpacked my bags when someone said, "You need to check out Reversing Falls!" I figured it was a cute little waterfall with a quirky name. 

NOPE.

I discovered a full-blown natural spectacle while I stood there, thinking, 'Where is the waterfall? What the actual heck is happening?'

Someone told me I was seeing slack tide at that moment.

'Slack tide?? What's that?'

I was completely lost until a tour guide nearby saved the day and explained everything.

The Reversing Falls Rapids

The Bay of Fundy is home to the world's highest tides. In Saint John, the tide reaches as high as 8.5 metres (28.5 feet). The extreme tides of the Bay are what help create a dramatic cycle at Reversing Falls Rapids, with three distinct phases that highlight the site's unique phenomenon. During low tide, the Saint John River rushes downstream into the bay, forming powerful rapids as water squeezes through a narrow gorge. This transitions into slack tide, a brief calm period lasting approximately 20 minutes when the incoming and outgoing flows balance, providing safe passage for boats and a momentary stillness amid the turbulence. Finally, the incoming flow during high tide causes the bay's waters to push back upstream, reversing the river's direction and creating intense rapids that peak with the highest tides.

The time between low and high tide is approximately 6 hours and 13 minutes. The area typically experiences two high tides and two low tides per day. Slack tide lasts about 20 minutes and occurs four times daily, as the tides transition. You can learn more about the tides, and the tide cycle on the Reversing Rapids Rack Card.

Locals advised me to return at various times to observe the entire tide cycle, and honestly, I was hooked. It's really worth seeing it at high tide, low tide, and slack tide. It's like nature's version of a mood swing, and I'm here for it.

So why is it called a waterfall?

Something I still didn't understand during that first visit was why they decided to call it the Reversing Falls instead of something related to the tides.

Well, I've learned there is a real waterfall here - it's just underwater!

The Reversing Falls 'waterfall' is a submerged ledge in the riverbed, formed about 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age when glaciers altered the Saint John River's flow. As sea levels rose post-Ice Age, this waterfall was gradually drowned beneath the river's surface, leaving dramatic underwater drops - like a 25-metre plunge into a pool past nearby islands and another 40-metre drop beyond the bridge - that now fuels the site's intense rapids and whirlpools without a visible cascade above water.

Isn't that spectacular?! The incredible power of nature.

All I can say is, next time you visit Saint John, don't sleep on this. Reversing Falls Rapids isn't just a cool name - it's a full-on experience. It's wild, weird, and one of the most unforgettable things I've seen since arriving. Your camera won't do it justice, and I promise, your jaw will be on the floor.